Car bodywork, from full resprays and car dent removal to smart repairs

The most obvious and visible part of your car, van or motorcycle is the bodywork. There is a striking difference between a clean, shiny and smooth paint finish and a dull, damaged, scratched and dented body. Our car bodywork and respray services can transform the look and feel of your vehicle for a fraction of main dealer prices.

There are three key bodywork services that we offer; body repairs, panel replacement and resprays. Car body repairs involve the skilful and experienced use of tools to regain the shape and integrity of body panels. For example, a significant dent in the rear wing of your car is an unsightly and devaluing blemish. Furthermore, the cost of replacing this panel can be significant – parts are expensive, and the welding required often involves significant dismantling and preparation. In many cases, however, this kind of damage can be repaired. By reforming the shape of the metal, then carefully applying layers of body filler, the results can be astonishing – a good body repair will very rarely be noticed. We often have customers saying ‘you wouldn’t even know’ – this is of course our aim and confirms a job well done.

In some cases, panels are beyond repair or it can be more economical to replace with new bodywork. For example, front wings often suffer significant damage, and can be fairly inexpensive to replace – the cost of a new wing can be less than the labour to repair the existing one. In such cases, we use a wide network of main agents and suppliers to source approved parts that fit well. A new panel will usually come in factory primer, which we must then prepare, re-prime and then paint. The process does not end there, much of the job is in the fitting of new panels. Doors and tailgates can be fiddly and technical, but the most important part of the job is ensuring the gaps are equal. We can spend hours ‘lining up’ replacement panels to ensure the repair looks as good as new. Additionally, such body repairs will sometimes require ‘blending’, especially metallic and pearlescent colours. This involves blending the basecoat into the next panel to ensure a good colour match and a factory equivalent finish.

The third bodywork service we offer is respraying. When people think of a respray, they often visualise a colour change, which is a service we do provide, but in most cases we find customers simply want to rejuvenate some or all of their existing paintwork. Stone chips provide a useful example. We have resprayed front ends which are free from dents or scratches but are covered in stone chips from everyday use. To achieve the perfect finish, this involves taking the panel back to bare metal, preparing it, priming it and repainting. Another example can be taken from ‘flaky’ paintwork. Some manufacturers’ standard paintwork does not stand the test of time well. Similarly, poor quality body repairs can lead to the basecoat

or clearcoat peeling off in an unsightly fashion. Again, this requires some serious preparation, but the change in the look and value of your car can be significant.

Whether it is a scratch repair or a full respray, contact us today or visit us at our Barwell bodyshop for a free estimate on your bodywork and paintwork requirements.